Guest Blogger: Lori Devoti
The winner of Lori's book is: JSB (Jana). Congrats, Jana! Send me your snail mail info and I'll pass it along to Lori. Thanks to everyone who participated.
Blind Read-Test. Could You Spot the Vamp?
Most of my books feature shape-shifters -- garm (wolf) and hellhounds. In a couple of weeks my first published vampire tale (Holiday with a Vampire II, Silhouette Nocturne) comes out. When I am writing my shape-shifters I have very specific personality types in mind for each. Hellhounds are hunters; garm are protectors. So, while each individual garm or hellhound has his or her own personality, those traits tend to rule them.
When I sat down to write my vampire hero I had to come up with something else. Which got me to thinking, if you were to just sit down and read a paranormal with some kind of creature as the hero, but you didn’t know what kind of creature he was, could you name it? Should you be able to name it? Is there some trait that does or should shine through with all weres, vamps, etc.?
I think there are. Werewolves tend to be pack oriented. If you don’t have a pack, you are looked down on. They are also, I think, more aggressive than your average vampire. I see vampires as much more likely to sit in the back corner of the bar waiting for his prey . . . date . . . to come to him. He might even use a little mind power to pull her back there. A werewolf, he’ll stalk forward and make his claim. And any interlopers who think of butting in? Bad news for them. The vampire, he’ll probably wait outside, address those little issues later. He can be offended and he won’t be walked on, but it isn’t about territory to him. In other words, a werewolf lives by a lot more rules. They are clear cut and whoever crosses them better watch out. A vampire, he’s a loner. He doesn’t worry about what others think.
So, if my hellhounds are hunters, and my garm are protectors, what was my vampire? I hate to say it, but I think I’m going to have to go with tortured. Obviously that fits with vampires. They spend a lot more time living and regretting their own personal hells -- which just makes us love them all the more.
So, what do you think? Do you agree? Can you think of a were and a vamp that stand out as clear-cut examples of their kind?
Post your opinion and feel free to disagree with me totally. I’m giving away a copy of my second Nocturne, Guardian’s Keep (garm hero). The follow up to this book, Dark Crusade, will be out in April.
Oh, and because I’m all over the opportunity for pimpage, stop by my blog this Wednesday. I’m starting a promotion titled 30 Days of Vampires. That’s right (at least) a post a day for 30 days on vampires. Editors, authors and readers , interviews, essays and excerpts. Lots of great stuff, and, of course, prizes. Grand prize of $100 (or there about) of vampire stuff -- just comment on the blog posts to be entered, and some daily prizes too. http://www.loridevoti.com/blog and the ever-growing schedule http://loridevoti.com/blog/30-days-of-vampires-schedule/ (prizes shipped to U.S. addresses only)
And thanks to Lynda for having me. She’ll be blogging during 30 Days too!
http://www.loridevoti.com
Wild Hunt, Silhouette Nocturne
Holiday with a Vampire, Coming Dec. 2008
Most of my books feature shape-shifters -- garm (wolf) and hellhounds. In a couple of weeks my first published vampire tale (Holiday with a Vampire II, Silhouette Nocturne) comes out. When I am writing my shape-shifters I have very specific personality types in mind for each. Hellhounds are hunters; garm are protectors. So, while each individual garm or hellhound has his or her own personality, those traits tend to rule them.
When I sat down to write my vampire hero I had to come up with something else. Which got me to thinking, if you were to just sit down and read a paranormal with some kind of creature as the hero, but you didn’t know what kind of creature he was, could you name it? Should you be able to name it? Is there some trait that does or should shine through with all weres, vamps, etc.?
I think there are. Werewolves tend to be pack oriented. If you don’t have a pack, you are looked down on. They are also, I think, more aggressive than your average vampire. I see vampires as much more likely to sit in the back corner of the bar waiting for his prey . . . date . . . to come to him. He might even use a little mind power to pull her back there. A werewolf, he’ll stalk forward and make his claim. And any interlopers who think of butting in? Bad news for them. The vampire, he’ll probably wait outside, address those little issues later. He can be offended and he won’t be walked on, but it isn’t about territory to him. In other words, a werewolf lives by a lot more rules. They are clear cut and whoever crosses them better watch out. A vampire, he’s a loner. He doesn’t worry about what others think.
So, if my hellhounds are hunters, and my garm are protectors, what was my vampire? I hate to say it, but I think I’m going to have to go with tortured. Obviously that fits with vampires. They spend a lot more time living and regretting their own personal hells -- which just makes us love them all the more.
So, what do you think? Do you agree? Can you think of a were and a vamp that stand out as clear-cut examples of their kind?
Post your opinion and feel free to disagree with me totally. I’m giving away a copy of my second Nocturne, Guardian’s Keep (garm hero). The follow up to this book, Dark Crusade, will be out in April.
Oh, and because I’m all over the opportunity for pimpage, stop by my blog this Wednesday. I’m starting a promotion titled 30 Days of Vampires. That’s right (at least) a post a day for 30 days on vampires. Editors, authors and readers , interviews, essays and excerpts. Lots of great stuff, and, of course, prizes. Grand prize of $100 (or there about) of vampire stuff -- just comment on the blog posts to be entered, and some daily prizes too. http://www.loridevoti.com/blog and the ever-growing schedule http://loridevoti.com/blog/30-days-of-vampires-schedule/ (prizes shipped to U.S. addresses only)
And thanks to Lynda for having me. She’ll be blogging during 30 Days too!
http://www.loridevoti.com
Wild Hunt, Silhouette Nocturne
Holiday with a Vampire, Coming Dec. 2008
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A winner will be selected on Tuesday evening. Leave a comment!
posted by Lynda Hilburn at 8:19 PM
10 Comments:
I always see the vampire as having less rules with in his own community and often straddling the line between retaining humanity and giving it up and just reveling in being a death dealing nut bar. Were's are more tied to animal natures which usually reserves killing for need, even in dominance games mostly it's to the yield, but the vampire tends to kill because he needs and because it sates something in his beast to take away the life he's denied. :)
~Jana
I agree that the vampire seems more tormented. Others aren't as alone nor do they need to feed in the same way. I think between the loneliness and their immortality they risk the lost of their humanity without finding their soulmates who help keep them grounded.
I have to agree that torment and vampires go hand in hand. I would definetly be tormented if I was a vampire. I do love a good vampire book though, i like reading about the good sexy funny romantic vamps, not the scary demonic horrorfied vamps, I am a weenie. lol thanks for the great blog.
The romantically tragic figure of the vampire, cursed to haunt the night, hunts or seduces his quarry seeking to quench the eternal thirst. Then at last, that moment of surrender when the tender neck is submissively revealed and the victim's willingness to be possessed, body and soul, ends in a climax with penetration and blood.
What do we think causes the torment? I think it used to be the whole cursed church thing...but now I'm not sure that would be as much a factor for many.
Maybe it's lack of daylight, like an eternity with seasonal affective disorder... Or giving up chocolate.
Lori
I could see vampires tormented too. I'm really not sure why.
Wonderful post, Lori! Thanks so much for being here. I think it would be horribly isolating and lonely for vampires to have such long existences if there is no meaning. Nothing to keep them climbing out of the coffin every night for centuries. One route some of the vampires in my series take is the acquisition of knowledge/wisdom. And the continuous re-seeking of interpersonal connection. It would seem life without those things would be pretty empty. It makes me sad just thinking about it!
Hugs, Lynda
I recently read a book by Jennifer Armintrout that her main character was a vampire named Nathan. He, I think, is a perfect example of a tormented vampire. He had a wife and family and then got changed and forced to kill his wife. So bascially he was alone in the modern world with that weight on his shoulders.
Now werewolves run in packs, right? Well, I would have to use as an example for this one, Jacob from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. They ran in packs and were linked to one another. Even though Jacob cut himself off from the rest of the main pack in the end, he was still a part of something. He had his own pack. you can't have two Alpha males running a pack.
It seems like vampires are tomrented alot, it would be nice once in awhile if they were not.
And I agree thay they will wait to go after what they want.
Werwolves might go right away.
I agree with everyone that vampires are a very tormented, shadow dwelling species. I mean, giving up eating food, sunlight, and normal senses would be a hard adjustment to someone born as a human. It's so much to take in when your suddenly changed. And you can't go back or pretend too hard to be normal again because your new abilities overwhelm and your weaknesses are too apparent. My ideal vampire would probably be someone like Ivy of Kim Harrison's Hollow series simply because Ivy's flaws and talents are all displayed equally.
For werewolves, they are as you said, a pack oriented species that depends on it's strengths both as an individual and as a team to survive. My ideal werewolf would be Elena Michaels of Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. Just the way Elena is written and how Kelley incorporates so many wolf behaviors in her books make her my top pick.
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